Mac DeMarco: "2"

On the Rock and Roll Nightclub EP released earlier this year, Montreal's Mac DeMarco oozed sleaziness and slightly creepy vocals. On the new 2, his voice sounds like it woke up early for a change and got some fresh air, which matches his sunny, jangling tunes. But his warped, bent-out-of-shape guitar tone hints at the slanted reality that informs his songwriting.

He touches on a sketchy childhood ("Cooking Up Something Good"), apologizes to his mom for misbehaving ("Freaking Out the Neighborhood") and finds time to pay tribute to his favorite smokes ("Ode to Viceroy"). No matter how tough to swallow the topics of conversation get, his golden guitar always helps the medicine go down.